Old, Old Europe
Mon Feb 14, 2005 at 09:04:56 AM PDT
This diary is my attempt to follow up on Jerome's diary
Schroeder says - NATO is over.
Too many Americans, and liberals in particular, are Europhiles. At times, these attitudes are just outright effete. The truth is that European wealth was based on exploiting the New World and the greatest tyranny the world has seen has come out of Europe over the past 400 years, going right through the end of the 20th century. Yet, many Americans sound and act like European models of social structure are to be emulated.
'Old Europe,' 'New Europe,' doesn't matter to me. ALL of Europe can go off and do whatever they like as far as I'm concerned now that they no longer have the power to plunder the rest of the world. The 21st Century lies in building relationships and forging alliances with the 'New World' where there are larger markets and more resources, natural and human. It would be much more beneficial for the United States to focus on rebuilding relationships with Africa, Asia and South America then fretting over what Europeans think.
The real foreign policy tragedy of the Bush Administration is not the deterioration of the relationship with Europe, it's the erosion of goodwill the United States had with nations in Africa and South America that was being built up during the Clinton Administration. I would rather see a change of focus in United States policy to embrace Mercusor, the South American trading bloc; India, where there is a huge, underemployed educated class; and build relations with resource-rich African nations.
The United States should support the desire of Brazil and India to have seats as permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and tell the French and British to give up their chairs. Let united 'Euro' share a seat. Brazil and India would be good examples to others in developing world because they are democracies working to build modern economies. Brazil's decision to play a major role in the peacekeeping force in Haiti is intended to show their intent to play a larger role in world affairs. In spite of its problems, India is a modern miracle in that a democracy could exist within such a polyglot. Tthese nations should be promoted. Dictatorships and monarchies need not apply.
There was never more goodwill towards the United States in Africa than at the end of the Clinton Administration following his tour of sub Saharan nations. Colin Powell attempted to carry on the relationships but he was swimming upstream. Following up on rewarding democracies, the U.S. should focus on South Africa. Supporting the South Africans' wish to host the Olympics is long on symbolism, cheap, but would go a long way in rebuilding relationships. Plus, American companies can go down there and build lots of infrastructure. Win-win, and the other African nations can see that with democracy comes rewards
China is an oppressive and tyrannical country. A human rights horror show. Yet, there is little outcry over human rights abuses there (except interesting enough, from the Evangelical right). Some in the other thread note that the Europeans will forge alliances with Chinese that can will rival U.S. If the Europeans want to build closer ties to China, fine, let them. It wasn't too long ago when Britain went to war with China in order to sell more opium to Chinese, so rights abuses shouldn't bother them and the Chinese need some place to dump their cheap goods so it just as well be Europe. I don't think either side benefits there. But a human rights policy that would make it difficult for North American companies to manufacture in China would be better for the U.S. and the rest of the developing world. For the past decade, factories have been closing in Mexico and moving to China where production is chaepaer. It defeats the whole purpose of NAFTA to have manufacturing relocating from Latin America to Asia. High tariffs need to be imposed on Chinese-manufactured goods and the American consumer wouldn't have to suffer. Every country in the Americas except Cuba is now a democracy. However, almost all of these countries have a huge problem with poverty. With a trade policy focusing on developing manufacturing in the Americas where costs are low but respect for human rights is increasing, fragile democracies are strengthened and United States interests are furthered.
Fortunately, all of these issues and choices will exist after the Bush Administration is gone. What's most important is for Americans to stop thinking that relationships with Europe are the foundation of foreign policy and realize that a 'New World' is emerging in the 21st Century.
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